[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E358-E359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO PATRICK CASHDAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 14, 2006

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
accomplishments of Patrick Cashdan, a young resident of the San 
Fernando Valley that recently became the high school winner of the 2006 
USA Today National Sportsmanship Day Essay Contest.
  The Sixteenth Annual National Sportsmanship Day was held across the 
United States and in over 100 countries around the world on Tuesday, 
March 7, 2006, by the Institute for International Sports. The purpose 
of the day is to raise awareness about issues related to sportsmanship 
and ethics in athletics and daily life. The essay competition is in its 
twelfth year and receives thousands of essays from elementary, middle, 
high school, and college students on the topic of ethics and 
sportsmanship in sports. Patrick is the 2006 winner in the high school 
category for his essay on the need to resurrect sportsmanship.
  My. Speaker, Patrick is a junior at Chaminade College Preparatory 
High School in West Hills, California. He is a varsity wrestler and 
lacrosse player, and understands the importance of sportsmanship and 
the difficulties encountered by young athletes who must face peer 
pressure to excel and win. While most children, of course, want to 
impress their friends and parents with their athletic abilities, 
Patrick understands that winning at all cost is not what is important. 
He believes and competes with the knowledge that one can play their 
very best while also being committed to being a good sport. Patrick has 
the strong support of his father, Daniel, and mother, Allisyn, who 
raised him to play fair--to understand that it is most important to do 
your best and enjoy yourself. Patrick also has two younger brothers, 
Christopher and Daniel, and has shared with them the value of good 
sportsmanship.
  Patrick plans to attend college next year and is interested in United 
States history. He plans to continue playing sports and hopes to spread 
the value of sportsmanship to his fellow teammates.
  My. Speaker, I pay tribute today to Patrick Cashdan as the high 
school winner of the 2006 USA Today National Sportsmanship Day Essay 
Contest, and as an inspiration to all sports fans. I ask that his essay 
on sportsmanship be included in the Record.

       High school winner: Patrick Cashdan, age 17, junior at 
     Chaminade College Preparatory High School, West Hills, Calif.
       Sportsmanship is dead. However, it has died many times in 
     history. For instance, it was buried the moment a Major 
     League Baseball player purposely spiked the other team while 
     stealing a base. In all sports both sides have to shake each 
     other's hand and wish each other good luck, but how sincere 
     are they? True sportsmen show grace and poise throughout 
     their lives as athletes and role models, regardless of the 
     game's outcome. There are many contributors to the death of 
     sportsmanship, including the media, the over inflation of 
     sports stars' egos, and most surprisingly, parents.
       Unlike the Medieval Ages where opposing soldiers would 
     greet each other on the battlefield and ``embrace them with a 
     soldier's arm'' (Henry IV, Shakespeare), today's competitors 
     only care about personal gain and fame. The modern media 
     tries to find out everything about celebrities, including 
     professional athletes, and when an athlete is caught doing 
     something wrong, the attention makes him or her even more 
     famous. This portrayal, even though it's bad, is addictive to 
     a celebrity and only inflates an athlete's ego.
       Such attention causes professional athletes to act 
     childishly. Athletes consistently show vulgar and immature 
     displays of unsportsmanlike activity. Fights with fans, 
     alleged illegal drug use, and extra-marital affairs should 
     not be the factors that define a great sportsman. Such 
     athletes care only about money and fame rather than the love 
     of the game. Their examples thus get passed on to the 
     children of today showing that it is ok to act in an 
     unsportsmanlike manner.
       Perhaps the final nail in the casket for the death of 
     sportsmanship starts when we are children. A parent is the 
     first coach of life and young athletes get over-influenced by 
     them. As a varsity wrestler, baseball and lacrosse player, I 
     see first-hand how a parent causes unsportsmanlike conduct. 
     The young athletes would do anything in their power to 
     impress their parents or ``make them proud'' even if it means 
     cheating or hurting themselves or their opponent. Recently, 
     at a wrestling tournament during the match, a parent was 
     yelling to his son to ``club'', or illegally hit, his 
     opponent's head. So, the son did what his father told him to 
     do. Believe it or not,

[[Page E359]]

     he won! He was cited for unsportsmanlike behavior and 
     advanced. His father was very proud. As a witness, it was 
     very upsetting to see such unsportsmanlike conduct being 
     taught by a parent, and ultimately being rewarded.
       It is unfortunate that there is not much sportsmanship seen 
     anymore today. How did the idea of winning or losing 
     gracefully leave our society? We need to resurrect it by 
     taking out the media. This would make most of our role models 
     act more maturely and less egotistically, and would make 
     parents stop putting too much pressure on their kids to win 
     at all costs. Sportsmanship needs to be brought back into our 
     lives for all of humanity's sake.

                          ____________________